Turf Talk Newsletter – 11 October, 2023

Tarry Quartet Have Departed For The Cape

Equus Horse Of The Year Princess Calla won two Gr 2 races in Cape Town last season (Photo: Wayne Marks).

The Equus Horse Of The Year Princess Calla departed for Cape Town yesterday (Tuesday) together with champion stablemate Mrs Geriatrix, Gr 1 winner Thunderstruck and also Tail Of The Comet.

Tarry has a Pinnacle event over 1200m lined up for Princess Calla in November as a pipe opener to her campaign in which the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes is her chief target.

He said, “It would have been easier for me to have given her a run in a Pinnacle over here (on the Highveld) in November, but I’m just worried about the travel protocols, so rather just get them out.”

Mrs Geriatrix’s chief target is obviously the Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas on December 2. The usual springboard into that event is the Gr 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship over 1400m, to be run on November 11. Mrs Geriatrix is unbeaten in six starts at present and it might be eight by sunset on December 2, as there is yet to be a three-year-old filly emerging who loooks capable of matching her, although the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Beach Bomb impressed in her last start.

Tail Of The Comet heads the Cape Racing Sales Ready To Run log and will likely start favourite for the 1400m event at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on October 21.

However, Tarry said he had particular respect for Just Be Lekker, whom Tail Of The Comet finished only two lengths in front of when they clashed in the Gr 2 Tabgold Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m on World Pool Gold Cup day. Just Be Lekker proved to be even better over the 1400m distance category on Saturday when fnishing a fine third in the Gr 2 Betway Jo’Burg Spring Fillies and Mares Challenge over 1450m.

Tarry said he believed Thunderstruck was at his best over sprints, but he added there was “no hard and fast rule” that would dictate his program.

He said he might have needed Saturday’s run when finishing a 6,50 length second to Main Defender in the Gr 2 Jo’Burg Spring Challenge over 1450m, but he added that he had not expected him to be beaten in that manner having been beaten narrowly in Gr 1 sprints in his previous two starts.

Durban Dawdle Becoming The Norm On The Poly

Muzi Yeni was allowed an easy lead on the favourite King Bavarian in race 3 at Wednesday’s poly meeting and he accepted the invitation before duly setting a pedestrian pace and going on to win comfortably (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Commentator Sheldon Peters could not hide his exasperation today (Wednesday) at the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly meeting.

“I could run faster than they are going at the current time, they are absolutely crawling!”, he said shortly after the start of race 3, in which the hot favourite King Bavarian was gifted an easy lead.

He continued, “The pace is quite disappointing. We’ve seen a lot of slow run races recently and here’s another!”

King Bavarian duly found extra in the final stages when challenged, because he did not use up much energy out in front going at the pedestrian pace.

The great hall of fame rider Michael Roberts once said bad riding often stemmed from instructions.

Punters might have been left wondering why the inside drawn horses did not hold their positions in race 3 and make it harder for the favourite to reach the front.

Well, it would be difficult for a jockey to do so if instructed to leave the horse alone in the early stages with the aim of being handy in a covered up position.

Trainers often need to provide information and instructions to jockeys, because not all jockeys are like the Anton and Basil Marcus’s of the world i.e. ones who diligently do their homework before every race.

Basil Marcus, during his six-times champion jockey stint in Hong Kong, used to arrive in the parade ring before every race not only knowing the details of his own mount but also the details of the opposition. This led to him having an edge and being supremely confident. He was no doubt allowed by trainers to form his own tactics.

On the other hand, Michael Roberts was every bit as diligent and tactically aware as Basil was, but he once revealed that back in the day, particularly in Natal (KZN) racing, one just about needed a notebook to take down all the instructions given in the parade ring.

Of course this current general lack of pace in KZN poly racing might not have anything to with instructions at all.

However, it is confusing to observers, especially considering there is no false rail on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly.

When there is no false rail the front runners tend to have an advantage, because the horses behind generally have to be switched outward to gaurantee a clear run.

Furthermore, the poly is a faster surface than turf, which plays even more into the hands of the front-runners.

Therefore there should surely be some competition for the lead, which should then lead to a faster pace.

That there is not a faster pace on the Hollywoodbets Durban poly is hard to understand … unless it is stemming from intructions and a fear of disobeying them.

An over use of instructions probably stems from two causes:

1) some jockeys arrive without having done their homework and therefore need to be given instructions.

2) some trainers like to impose their own tactics on jockeys no matter how professional the latter are.

The following lament is often heard on a racecourse, “I told the jockey to be handy.”

However, if eight trainers gave that instruction in a ten horse field, there is a problem.

The current Durban dawdle problem might only disappear if instructions disappear.

It would be a fine day when the professional sportsmen in the arena i.e. the jockeys, are allowed free rein to employ their own tactics.

However, in conclusion it must be said this article is not based on any research, it is just qualified guessing based on hearsay and observation.

The effect of instructions on the shape of a race would be difficult to research as it would require all connections involved in a race to share their instructions, or lack of instructions, with a researcher.

So we will probably continue to be in the dark about this disappointing trend which has crept into KZN racing.

Hewitson And De Melo On The Board

Keagan de Melo showed astute pace judgement in his win in Hong Kong today (Wednesday) (HKJC).

Lyle Hewitson and Keagan de Melo both had winners at Happy Valley in Hong Kong today.

Hewitson was aboard the Tote favourite in the first but finished downfield.

However, he wasted no time in making amends by riding the Mark Newnham-trained outsider Happy Hero to victory in the second race over 1650m, a class 5 event.

The Australian-bred Pierro gelding paid HK$16.00 on the Tote.

Hewitson was not only on an outsider in the race, but also had a tough draw of 9 in the 12 horse field.

He allowed his mount to amble out of the pens and dropped on to the rail in last place.

Happy Hero was still last turning for home and after hooking out wide his in-running odds would likely have been bigger than his starting odds.

However, this horse’s merit rating had dropped from an initial 52 down to 24 and he was carrying bottom weight of 119 pounds (54kg).

He ran on steadily and in the end won easing up by 1,5 lengths.

It was a first Hong Kong win for the Australian trainer Mark Newnham.

It was Hewitson’s fifth win of the season and he lies in 6th position on the log.

Reigning SA Champion jockey De Melo has not been given many good rides on the island and riding a horse in single figure odds has been unusual for him to date.

His ride in the third was the Douglas Whye-trained Irish-bred Galileo gelding Ivy League, who was paying HK$9.80 on the Tote as they jumped, which for him represented a fair opportunity.

He was also drawn fairly well in five in the 1650m class 3 event and he took the opportunity with both hands.

He left his mount alone in the early stages and ended up initially running in seventh place in a field that was strung out early as the pacemaker went clear.

However, De Melo alowed his horse to stride out down the back straight outisde of horses and he moved on to the leader’s quarters as they reached the final turn.

Ivy League battled courageously in the straight to just get the better of the pacemaker and the closers came too late.

It was a well judged ride and was just De Melo’s second win of the season.

Small Syndication Owners Involved In Saturday’s Everest, The World’s Richest Turf Race

Trainer Joe Pride with leading The Everest contender Think About It.CREDIT: PETER RAE

Syndicates giving small investors growing ownership of the world’s richest race on turf

Adam Pengilly (Sydney Morming Herald)

It was once said buying a horse is like buying a used car: you need to do your homework, have the experience, listen closely to the salesman – but, above all, you need dumb luck.

The $20 million The Everest is propped up by 12 uber-wealthy slot-holders, who stump up $700,000 per year for the privilege of choosing a runner in the race.

But this year, more than ever, the mix of giant corporations, stud farms and business people who own the slots have been begging retirees, engineers, property managers, doctors, teachers and chief executives to sign up their horses for the richest horse race ever to be run in Australia.

For the first time in the race’s history, five horses from some of Australia’s major racehorse syndication companies will line up in The Everest.

Between them, the five horses cost just $577,500 when they were bought by syndication firms in various sales rings across the country. The syndication firms then did what syndication firms do – sold small percentages of ownership in each horse to mum-and-dad Australians. So many small-time investors took up the offers that this year’s seventh running of The Everest will see the highest number of individual owners ever to be involved in the race.

Two of the race’s favourites, the Joe Pride-trained stablemates Think About It and Private Eye, are raced by Proven Thoroughbreds, which will have more than 50 individual owners on course at Royal Randwick competing against sheikhs and billionaires.

As the costs of owning a racehorse surge, thoroughbred racing administrators have identified a small outlay as part of large ownership groups as the way to keep the industry sustainable, while major players such as Proven Thoroughbreds principal Jamie Walter look for bargains like Think About It ($70,000) and Private Eye ($62,500).

“It’s almost a reflection of what the Australian ownership landscape is these days: big studs and syndications,” Walter says of The Everest field.

“It’s tremendous for us to have so many owners involved in big races. There’s a couple of people whose first horse is Think About It.

“But the days of three or four mates racing a horse, or an individual, are almost gone. The owners of tomorrow are the syndicates or the big studs.”

There are even more extreme examples of mass ownership.

A model under which ownership in one horse is divided into hundreds of micro shares has also been tried. Many of the owners might not ever get to meet each other, but one day they hope to compete for the riches in The Everest.

The race’s inaugural winner, Redzel, went on to defend his title in 2018 and was raced by Triple Crown Syndications, which will return with Mazu to the race for the second straight year. Triple Crown paid just $180,000 for Mazu as a yearling.

Darby Racing found an even cheaper prospect in $75,000 purchase Overpass, who will join Mazu and Private Eye as the only three horses to return to The Everest from 2022.

“We’ve been doing this for 17 years and in the early days [syndication] wasn’t just competitive, it was ruthless,” Darby Racing principal Scott Darby says. “But today everyone seems to get on well and there’s a great respect for your top syndicators. Generally, you’re very happy to see any syndicator win a big race because it’s helping your business as well.

“You’re getting your everyday owner involved in those group 1 races. It’s not just one syndicator dominating, they’re all over Australia. When you talk to people overseas, they envy how syndicators bring so many everyday Australians into racing.”

The winner of next week’s The Everest will pocket $7 million to be split between slot-holders and the horse’s connections. Even if a horse runs last, it will still earn $700,000.

There will be pandemonium no matter which horse wins the race, but race organisers will be extra keen for the mass celebration to come from a syndicated horse, with average Australians in the ownership.

“When I established Star [Thoroughbreds], the requirement was for each horse to have a maximum of six registered owners,” says syndicator Denise Martin, who has brokered a deal for $190,000 filly Espiona to contest this year’s race. “That increased to eight and you can really have as many as you like. She looks like a very inexpensive filly now.”

Cold As Ice’s Foal By Australia Fetches 50,000 Gns At Tatts

This colt is by Australia out of the former Joey Ramsden-trained Western Winter mare Cold As Ice (Tattersalls catalogue photograph).

The Western Winter mare Cold As Ice, who won six races in South Africa for Joey Ramsden including two Gr 2’s, had a colt on the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 2 yesterday.

The colt by Epsom Derby winner Australia was knocked down for 50,000 Guineas to Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock.

He was consigned by Baroda Stud, although the mare is owned by the Kieswetter family’s Barnane Stud.

Cold As Ice had previously had two fillies by Frankel.

The first of them is called Icykel and this now four-year-old filly is trained by Johnny Murtagh.

She won second time out over one mile and four furlongs and she has subsequently finished fourth in a Listed event over a mile and six furlongs.

Her second Frankel filly is unraced to date.

Battlelines are drawn at the Vaal

Battleground (JC Photos).

Jack Milner

Battleground is turning into a very decent stayer and he can notch up a third successive victory over a long distance when he lines up in Race 5 on Thursday, a MR 80 Handicap over 2400m on the Vaal Classic track.

This four-year-old gelding has taken a little while to come to hand although he did win his maiden race on his fifth visit to the racetrack. But he has only come into his own in the last few months and so far is unbeaten in both his runs this season.

Two runs back he completed his second victory, over 2400m at Turffontein on the Standside track, and followed that up with another victory over 2600m on the Turffontein Inside track. He has not yet been tested at a higher level but one gets the impression trainer Lucky Houdalakis could well be aiming Battleground at some of the Graded races for stayers during the season. He shrewdly has not rushed his charge and has given him some time to grow into the role.

Battleground does carry 62kg and will have to give weight all round but that should not stop him. Craig Zackey takes the ride.

The main threat is likely to come from American Grayson who two starts back finished a 1.25-length third behind Battleground in that race over 2600m.

Trainer Tyrone Zackey’s runner is now 1.5kg better off and on paper, over this distance that should be enough to turn the result around. However, Battleground looked to have plenty of fuel left in the tank and he was running away from his opposition when jockey Richard Fourie punched him into the lead late in that race.

Muzi Yeni takes the ride on American Grayson for the first time.

Absolute Value finished behind Battleground in his last two starts and also is weighted to reverse the result. However, two runs back Fabian Habib’s runner finished a 2.75-lengths second and was weighted to turn the tables in his next start but could not manage it, so he looks unlikely to do it on this occasion.

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 10 Jordan, 11 Livebythesword, 6 Holocene, 4 Birthright

Race 2: 13 Princess Lola, 4 Pink Diamond, 5 Villa Semaya, 12 Freedom Square

Race 3: 8 Eiffel Tower, 9 Fushimi Inari, 5 Archimides, 4 Willow Express

Race 4: 9 A Place In The Sun, 7 Countess Danza, 1 Elemental Force, 3 Godfather

Race 5: 1 Battleground, 3 American Grayson, 6 Absolute Value, 2 Rule Book

Race 6: 6 Winter Greeting, 10 Princeofgreen, 8 Simple Simple, 3 Star Coin

Race 7: 1 Duke Of Rock, 3 Dancing Dora, 5 Dark Tide, 4 Arilena

Race 8: 11 Neerah, 8 Empress Game, 6 Cue The Rebel, 4 Lil Miss Moneybags

BEST BET

Race 3: No 8 Eiffel Tower

VALUE BET

Race 8 No 11 Neerah

BEST SWINGER

Race 3 8×9

BIPOT

R216

Leg 1: 6, 10, 11

Leg 2: 4, 5, 13

Leg 3: 8

Leg 4: 1, 3, 7, 9

Leg 5: 1, 3, 6

Leg 6: 1, 6

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R216

Leg 1: 4, 13

Leg 2: 8

Leg 3: 1, 7, 9

Leg 4: 1, 3

Leg 5: 1, 6

Leg 6: 1, 3, 5

Leg 7: 6, 8, 11

PICK 6

R1620

Leg 1: 8

Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 7, 9

Leg 3: 1, 3, 6

Leg 4: 6, 8, 10

Leg 5: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7

Leg 6: 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11

JACKPOT 1

R270

Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 7, 9

Leg 2: 1, 3, 6

Leg 3: 6, 8, 10

Leg 4: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7

JACKPOT 2

R324

Leg 1: 1, 3, 6

Leg 2: 6, 8, 10

Leg 3: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7

Leg 4: 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11

Yeni, Moodley and Habib Doubles

The Tienie Prinsloo-trained Sugar Blast (Erupt) scores over 2000m on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly to give Serino Moodley a double (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Muzi Yeni downplayed his national championship chances at the beginning of the season and pointed out Richard Fourie’s big yard support around the country.

However, the ever determined rider is not going to be easy to catch as he keeps on churning out the winners and he went 13 clear of Richard Fourie when riding a double on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly today.

Serino Moodley and Calvin Habib also rode doubles.

Yeni is on 58 wins for the season achieved at a strike rate of 16.91%.

Moodley is on 18 wins at 15.25%.

Habib is on 20 wins at 8.23%.

Meanwhile, in what is going to be an intriguing race for the KZN Trainers Championship, Alyson Wright leads with 13 wins after another winner today and Wendy Whitehead, who also had a winner today, is second on 11, while Duncan Howells is third on 10 ahead of Mike Miller and Peter Muscutt on 9 apiece.

Today’s Question

The club arcade in Durban pictured in the 1920s.

Why was 386 Smith Street a significant address for KZN Racing?

THURSDAY FIELDS

Vaal Classic Fields

Today’s Question Answer

To establish off-course betting had long been the ambition of Durban Turf Club secretary Bob Maxwell and his perseverance was rewarded when, through the Racing Commission, the Racing and Betting Ordinance was finally passed permitting off-course totalisator facilities.

The Durban Turf Club wasted no time in renting premises in the Durban Arcade, 386 Smith Street and on March 1, 1959 Gerry Logan was appointed full-time supervisor of these new off-course totalisator offices.

By November 1960 all three racing clubs in the province had joined forces to form the Natal Totalisator Agency Board (NATAB) with a constitution approved by the Natal Provincial Administration.

During its first year of operation the Province received £202,139 in taxation from the Durban Turf Club off-course betting, while the club made £133,753.

Although attendances declined during 1962 and admission charges were R5,778 lesss than in 1961, the Totalisator turnover improved by an impressive R610,929 to R4,939,103.